1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus capable of conveying a sheet and a conveyed medium having a larger thickness than a sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most of image recording apparatus such as printers are capable of recording an image not only on a sheet such as a recording sheet, but also on a recording medium having a larger thickness than a sheet and on a CD and a DVD supported and conveyed by a media tray (hereinafter collectively referred to as “conveyed medium” where appropriate). The conveyed medium is inserted through an inlet formed in a front surface or a rear surface of the image recording apparatus and is conveyed through a main conveyance path formed in the apparatus.
Some of the image recording apparatus have a rear tray provided on a rear surface of the apparatus. A sheet supported by the rear tray is supplied into the apparatus through a rear-surface-side conveyance path. The rear-surface-side conveyance path merges with a main conveyance path from an upper side of the main conveyance path.
In the structure wherein the main conveyance path and the rear-surface-side conveyance path merge with each other as indicated above, there is a possibility that a conveyed medium or a sheet is erroneously conveyed through an unintended conveyance path different from a conveyance path through which the conveyed medium or the sheet should be actually conveyed. To prevent such erroneous conveyance, there has been disclosed a recording apparatus having a guide member. The guide member closes part of the main conveyance path at a predetermined position for enabling a sheet that is being conveyed through the rear-surface-side conveyance path to be smoothly introduced into the main conveyance path when a tray guide configured to support a conveyed medium inserted into the apparatus is located at a retracted position. In conjunction with a movement of the tray guide from the retracted position to a supportable position at which the tray guide can support the conveyed medium, the guide member moves from the predetermined position at which the guide member closes part of the main conveyance path to a position at which the main conveyance path is open.